Esteqlal manager Qal`e-Noei banned for final showdown

IRNA - Head of Disciplinary Committee of Iran`s Football Federation Saturday said Esteqlal of Tehran head coach Amir Qal`e-Noei will not be allowed to sit in the dugout during the return final game of the League Cup Wednesday.
The manager was sent off by the referee Fereydoun Esfahanian in the 35th minute of the first-leg final between Esteqlal and Sepahan in Naqsh-e Jahan stadium, Isfahan.
Talking to IRNA, Enayatollah Dehmiani added although the law has nothing to say about an expelled manager`s presence in the next match,the committee is morally duty-bound to ban him.
Sepahan won Friday`s first leg 3-2 against the blue-clad Esteqlal.
The home team collected three points as it emerged victorious amid bust-up and scuffle on and off the field.
Supported by passionate fans in the semifinished Naqsh-e Jahan stadium, Sepahan took the lead in the 10th minute when Leon Estepanian curled a free-kick past out-of-sort Esteqlal keeper Massoud Qassemi.
Blues in the stands unrolled their flags 17 minutes later as Yadollah Akbari collected a well-flighted cross from Farzad Majidi in the area, beating Sepahan goalie Kamil Susko in a man-to-man challenge.
The match turned sour on 35 minutes when the fourth judge stopped the game to report to the referee Fereydoun Esfahanian that Esteqlal manager Qal`e-Noei addressing the linesman had used foul language.
Qal`e-Noei and some blue officials invaded the pitch after Esfahanian ordered Esteqlal head coach to quit the field.
Supervisor referee Ebrahim Mirza-Beigi told IRNA there was nothing wrong with the expulsion of Qal`e-Noei and he was sent off according to the FIFA regulations.
The situation was aggravated for Esteqlal in the 56th minute when the blues` full-back Mohammad Khorramgah headed home an Estepanian cross.
Striker Gholam-Reza Enayati triggered celebrations among blue fans and a scuffle between a Sepahan official and Qal`e-Noei and his associate in the stand on 80 minutes when he scored the equalizer with a header.
Qal`e-Noei, who steered his side from the stand was opposed and then punched by a Sepahan official, identified as Keshavarzian, prompting the police to rush to the scene and control the violence.
But it was a "bad Friday" for Esteqlal as the yellows grabbed the winner, leaving a bitter taste on the blues` palate.
Substitute Seyed Morteza Hashemizadeh poured cold water on blues` camp three minutes from time, firing home a pass from Saeid Ramezani.
Esteqlal players and officials believed Hashemizadeh was offside while the referee said his linesman confirmed the goal.
The two sides play the second leg on the manicured pitch of the 100,000-seater Azadi stadium in western Tehran on July 7.
Esteqlal and Sepahan were to play the return game on July 6 but the match was rescheduled and slated for Wednesday as a ceremony is to be held Tuesday to honor national champions in the presence of President Seyed Mohammad Khatami.

BLUES BLAMED
Referee Fereydoun Esfahanian blamed Esteqlal for the chaos in the first-leg final "Everything was going well but Qal`e-Noei`s accusation and Esteqlal officials` baseless protests encouraged melee in the last minutes of the match.
Head of Arbitration Committee told IRNA the game was well judged and all five goals were correct, branding protests as baseless.
Manouchehr Nazari, who declined to name wrongdoers asked the officials to sue those who used indecent language.